Doesn't it seem like everyone is on a low-carb diet?
Contrary to current recommendations by the American Dietetic Association, the U.S. Surgeon General, and the American Medical Association encouraging people to eat a diet based on the Food Guide Pyramid and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, low-carbohydrate diets seem to be the latest dieting fad. What's this all about?
There is no magic number of carbohydrates that qualify a diet as 'low-carb.' That's because the effect of consuming a very low amount of carbohydrates is specific to an individual. Many diets that are very low in carbohydrates may accelerate weight loss through ketosis, the process in which the body breaks down its fat stores to fuel the activities of everyday living. But what?s sacrificed is a ready source of fuel your body needs to function, like the fuel in your car. When you limit your intake of carbohydrates, your body turns to fat stores as an alternative fuel source.
One of the greatest challenges I face when I counsel people interested in low-carb diets is cutting through the hype in countless books and magazines that tout customized diet plans. Though these diets can be effective in producing short-term weight loss, there is very little research that suggests to us that any of these custom plans will actually work for long-term weight maintenance and health.
Here's what we do know from research: Eating a lot of fat and limiting carbohydrates will increase the fat in the bloodstream, often building to levels that are considered harmful. We also know that high-fat diets have been linked to increased incidence of heart disease and cancer and that diets high in protein can cause the body to lose calcium, which increases the risk for osteoporosis.
Is there a nutritional place for low-carbohydrate diets?
Until we have an opportunity to study the long-term effects of limiting carbohydrates in the diet, the best advice for people who choose to follow a carbohydrate-limiting diet is to do so under the supervision of a physician and registered dietitian who can closely monitor the short- and long-term health effects. This is one situation where I recommend getting the help of the professionals and not doing it yourself!
Read Cheryl Koch's follow-up entry: Low-Carb Diets, Again.